On March 2, 2010 the Florida legislature will convene and have two major issues on the table - a $2 billion revenue short fall and off shore drilling. They are linked, highly political and emotion issues.

My column will try to answer the question on everyone's mind: To drill or not to drill off of Florida's shores.

The legislature will surely introduce a bill that will give the Governor and Cabinet the authority to sell off shore oil leases at from between $1 million to $5 million each. This will allow oil companies to drill to determine if and where significant oil or natural gas deposits are in the area controlled by the state, from the shoreline to 10 miles off shore. The rigs needed to do this initial exploration will be up and running for a short time, for one to six months. These exploration rigs will then be moved to another location for further exploration. Once workable deposits are discovered then the hard work of extraction occurs, but not without government oversight.

I have compiled seven questions most asked about off shore drilling by Floridians. Here are the answers to those questions:

Question 1: Do oil spills threaten Florida’s beaches? – YES

• The threat of a major oil spill is very real and perhaps imminent.
• An oil spill occurred on September 16, 1969 when approximately 189,000 gallons of imported #2 fuel oil spilled when the barge Florida ran aground off West Falmouth, Florida.
• An oil spill occurred in August 1993 caused when two oil barges and a freighter collided near the mouth of Tampa Bay. Approximately 330,000 gallons of imported #6 fuel oil were discharged into lower Tampa Bay.
• Both oil spills were cleaned up with no long term impact to the environment, tourism or beaches.
• Six billion gallons of various oils ship into Tampa Bay alone every year.
• There will be more oil spills by ships and the company(s) responsible clean them up. When you spill milk you clean it up, you don’t ban it.
• Compare to costs of cleaning up Red Tide and repairing beach erosion.
• Off shore drilling technological improvements significantly reduce risk of major oil spill.

Question 2: Is there a greater threat of oil spills from off shore drilling? - NO

• U.S. offshore oil drilling is not perfectly tidy. It's only 99.999 percent clean.
• Since 1980 -- as the U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) figures indicate -- 101,997 barrels spilled from among the 11.855 billion barrels of domestic American oil extracted offshore. This is a 0.001 percent pollution rate.
• While offshore drilling is not 100 percent spotless, this record should satisfy all but the terminally fastidious. Ironically, in terms of oil contamination, Mother Nature is 95 times dirtier than Man.
• Some 620,500 barrels of oil ooze organically from North America's ocean floors each year. Compare this to the average 6,555 barrels that oil companies have spilled annually since 1998, according to MMS.
• Offshore drilling can actually reduce the amount of oil reaching our beaches by relieving the pressure that forces oil to seep from the ocean floor. According to data from the National Academy of Sciences, just 1% of oil found in U.S. waters comes from drilling and extraction, vs. 63% from natural seepage, 32% from cars and boats, and 4% from tankers.
• We are safer drilling than shipping imported oil.

Question 3: Will there be a negative impact on tourism? – NO

• Tourism in Florida depends on cheap reliable energy to power our hotels, theme parks, restaurants, and small businesses (53.5% of energy produced in Florida from natural gas and petroleum)
• Many attractions are inland such as Universal Studios and Disney.
• Tourists get to Florida by car, airplane, ship and rail, all using fossil fuels.
• Tourists expect air-conditioning and hot showers when they check into their rooms.
• Tourists expect a hot meal when they go to a restaurant.
• Tourists expect always on power to charge their cell phones, i-Pods, computers and watch TV.
• Drilling for oil and tourism are not mutually exclusive, rather they compliment one another. This is not an either or decision but rather of one supporting the other opportunity. It is not a zero sum game.

Question 4:Does off shore drilling negatively impact fish or fishing? - NO

• Oil rigs become safe havens for both commercial and sport fish.
• Oil companies have left in place in the Gulf of Mexico platforms from played out wells at the request of fishermen.
• Marine life has EXPLODED around these huge artificial reefs.
• Louisiana produces one third of America's seafood. A study by Louisiana State University shows that 85% of Louisiana offshore fishing trips involve fishing around oil platforms and that there's 50 times more marine life around an oil production platform than in the surrounding Gulf bottoms.
• Louisiana produces one-third of America's commercial fisheries -- because of, not in spite of, drilling platforms.

Question 5: Will drilling have an immediate impact on our econmy? – NO

• Oil companies required to go through 28 federal agencies to obtain a drilling permit.
• Threat of law suits by individuals, environmental groups and political entities may slow the process.
• First oil companies must find the location of any oil and natural gas deposits.
• In 2003 the Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimated recoverable deposits in Eastern Gulf of Mexico of oil at 6.25 billion barrels and 32.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
• It takes 2 to 6 months to get a drilling rig on site.
• It takes 6 to 12 months to begin pumping oil.
• Opening of OCS may directly impact markets depending on the U.S. long term commitment to drill off shore.

Question 6: Do fossil fuels cause global warming? – NO

• Even a complete cessation of greenhouse emissions from Florida will likely slow the future rate of global warming by less than one one-hundredths (<0.01) of a ºC per century.
• The impact of sea level will be an equally meager tenth of a centimeter per century.
• Greenhouse gas emissions are increasing so rapidly in China that new emissions from China will completely subsume the entirety of Florida’s emissions cessation in less than 6 month’s time.
• There is simply no climatic gain to be had from emissions reductions in Florida.

Question 7: Does drilling for oil restrict spending on alternative fuels? – NO

• Oil companies, most being state owned, make energy investment decisions based upon the market.
• Oil and natural gas are traded internationally.
• Demand for oil and natural gas is projected to increase in Florida by 30% in the next ten years.
• Alternative fuels such as Ethanol have their own environmental negatives.Florida could produce Ethanol from sugar cane but must consider impact on Everglades. Bio-mass is an option.
• Does the open market drive new fuel technologies or government intervention via subsidies and regulation or both? YES
• Technology is the long term answer but oil will remain the bridge fuel of choice over the mid term. 

Florida is facing an energy crisis according to Florida Atlantic University. Florida is fourth in population but third in total energy consumption in the U.S. Florida imports 99.9% of its fossil fuels and 100% of its refined petroleum products. Florida has a net electricity deficit during peak usage, importing power from the neighboring states of Georgia and Alabama. Florida’s per capita residential electricity demand is 15th highest in the country, due in part to high air-conditioning use during hot summer months and the widespread use of electricity for home heating during winter months. The state's energy demand is expected to increase by 30% in ten years.

How do we help solve our energy crisis? Develop all forms of energy, especially those we have just off of our shorelines.